Prashant Kishor wins Bankipur bypoll, defeats BJP
Prashant Kishor, founder of Jan Suraaj, won the Bankipur assembly bypoll, defeating BJP candidate Neeraj Kumar by 19,324 votes, with 64,151 votes to Kumar's 44,827.
The bypoll was held after BJP national president Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.
Bankipur had been a BJP stronghold for over two decades, with Nitin Nabin winning it four consecutive times since 2010, including a 2025 victory with 63.25% vote share.
Kishor's win marks his first electoral victory, and a dramatic turnaround from the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections where Jan Suraaj contested 238 seats but won none and secured only 3.44% vote share.
The defeat raises questions about BJP's ability to retain urban support and is seen as a symbolic setback for Nitin Nabin, with the result likely to impact strategies ahead of the Bihar Assembly elections.
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